The Government should act as a trailblazer in Ireland's effort to become a global centre for e-commerce through the introduction of a competitive tax regime, according to a report just published by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC). The report welcomed the deregulation of the telecommunications industry, saying it would offer great opportunities and be seen as "a watershed, not just for the national telecommunications industry, but for the economy as a whole."
The report said that the Government should push for a competitive EU tax policy on e-commerce and should offer incentives to get more people online, working with the industry to ensure that Internet-ready PCs are made available at attractive prices. IBEC believes that a harmonious, business-friendly tax regime which reflects the "borderless" nature of the Internet is required for small businesses to avail of international opportunities.
Tax Net: Telecom Internet has launched an interactive, online tax consultancy service to help PAYE workers calculate their tax liability. TaxMate is a Net-based automated service, developed by tax specialists, HLB V.F. Nathan & Co. and Java specialists, MetaMedia. Users submit their PRSI number and other details and this year's tax liability is displayed. The service is available at www.tinet.ie from today.
Piracy on hold: A European Parliament committee has postponed a vote on legislation aimed at deterring piracy on the Internet, delaying action by the full parliament until at least February. The parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, which must consider some 300 proposed amendments, agreed to schedule a vote for January 20th, 1999.
3Com's Plans: 3Com is providing general help and information on the Y2K bug and will give website addresses, white papers and other materials to educate and prepare businesses for Y2K. Business owners can call the Global Response Centre Europe on 1800 553117. 3Com is also undertaking a joint venture with Ethernet to develop a set of LAN telephony and multimedia products. Through the new joint venture, the two companies expect to deliver products in 1999 that will enable businesses to run voice, video and data calls over their local area networks.
Fission chips: The US government and Intel are developing a radiation-proof computer chip that could help shield satellites from nuclear blasts in space. The new microprocessor is the result of work by Intel and the government's Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. Intel is to license its Pentium processor design to the US Department of Energy in a royalty-free deal.
Ms Bugs: Several Y2K bugs have been found in Windows 98 - one of the most heavily tested software products ever. None of the problems poses any risk of data loss or damage to computers, and they are so obscure that most users would be unlikely to spot them, said Don Jones, Microsoft's product manager for Year 2000. The glitches were found during company tests, Jones said. Microsoft posted patches on its website last week.
University Symphony: Broadband technology which allows greater collaboration between universities is to be tested by Trinity College and UCD after agreement was reached with the national education and research network HEAnet. Starting next month, HEAnet and the universities will pilot the project which will involve a full range of Telecom Eireann's Symphony ATM services including installation, bandwidth adjustment on demand, support and maintenance. Cisco Ireland will provide ATM switching and ancillary equipment to supplement the three partners' existing equipment.
Sun Settles On Linux: Sun Microsystems has joined forces with the Linux community to complete a port of the popular freeware operating environment to the UltraSPARC architecture. Developers and end-users can now download Linux for the UltraSPARC platform free at sun.com/products-n-solutions /promotions.html.
Big Blue's Big Sale: AT&T is buying IBM's data networking business for $5 billion cash. IBM's Global Network Business, with $2.5 billion in revenue, has a million Internet users as well as tens of thousand of business customers.
Stress-Free Email: A UK study conducted by MORI on behalf of Lotus Development refutes suggestions that employees are stressed out by technology and on the brink of nervous breakdowns because of email overload. The study revealed that email volume is not particularly heavy with over 60 per cent of respondents receiving fewer than 10 emails a day while most respondents are unconcerned about future email volumes.
State Withdrawal: As the Microsoft antitrust trial entered its eighth week last Monday, South Carolina withdrew from the suit because, according to the state's Attorney General, the recent merger of AOL with Netscape shows the market is competitive. Microsoft's lead trial lawyer, John Warden, said that the merger should bring an end to the lawsuit, but the Justice Department said it had no intention of dropping the case. Meanwhile Bill Gates portrayed himself last week as the victim of over-zealous government lawyers who don't understand the "incredibly fierce" competition of the nation's high-tech industry.
In Brief...The Nasdaq is implementing Windows NT for its new stock monitoring system which handles the market's billions of transactions and alerts Nasdaq officials to any exceptional stock movements. . .Horizon Group has raised IR£7.35 million in a private placement to fund further development of the company. . .FMS, the Dublin-based software manufacturer, has supplied Allfinanz software to Travelers Life & Annuity, one of the United States' best-known insurance companies. . .